


Death's Trickster

by Evenings_Dawn



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Autopsies, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Loss of Parent(s), Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2020-03-20 13:11:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evenings_Dawn/pseuds/Evenings_Dawn
Summary: Shi Tawakemono is the resident pathologist and a CSI for Inaba. Her world is based on facts and what science can prove. So when a number of murders roll in with the fog, Shi's world is turned upside down and inside out. Can she help Inaba police solve this case? Or will she descend into a fog she cannot escape.





	1. Chapter 1

If you had told Shi Tawakemono that she would end up in the situation she was now, she would have laughed in your face and told you that you were mad. She had never been one for believing in fate and religion. She had lost that faith long ago. Instead, her trust had been placed in science, in facts that she could trust and see. As the forensic pathologist in Inaba and a resident CSI, she was often called upon to help with robberies and break ins but murder was never on her schedule. Until little over a year ago. When the fog rolled in and brought with it a terror that shook the little town and turned Shi's world upside down.

As the resident pathologist, Shi would often spend most of her time doing routine autopsies and freaking out the rookies. She would call them down to her office, have them watch as she sliced through skin and muscle and dissected heart and stomach to identify their cause of death. The older officers would get a laugh out of it as well, watching as rookie after unfortunate rookie ran to the sink to empty their stomachs. As she watched the most recent victim of her twisted humour run away, she got a call. She stepped out of the dirty area of her autopsy room, stripped off her gloves and gauntlets and picked up her phone. "Tawakemono." She said; her tone professional.

"Dr Tawakemono? I'm afraid we need you at a crime scene." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What is it?"

"A death." She froze. "We...well you should come down here for yourself and see." The voice at the other end said before hanging up. She stared ahead momentarily before quickly removing her scrubs, grabbing her medical kit and her jacket and heading for her car. Her pager went off with the location as she drove. The radio continued its mindless, idle gossip about some news anchor's affair with a council secretary who was married to a singer. She rolled her eyes and switched to her CDs, the strings of a quartet playing some of her favourite songs echoing out of her speakers. She switched it off as she pulled up to the scene, watching as a high-school student was led to a nearby police car as she stepped out.

"Shi-san." A rough male voice called, she turned to see the voice's owner waving her over. She walked towards him.

"Dojima-san, I heard you've got a death for me." She said, placing her kit down on the ground. As she did so, a gurney was wheeled towards them, a black bag atop it. "Is this the victim?" She asked. He nodded and she turned to the bag and unzipped it. A young woman's face looked back at her, eyes blank and glassy. "Isn't she the one that's been on the news lately?" She asked. Again Dojima nodded. "So why did you call me?"

"Because of how we found her." He turned and pointed at a nearby aerial. "She was hanging from that aerial." He said. She turned to him before looking back at the body. There was no sign of injury. A third shadow fell over them and she turned to see Dojima's new partner, looking at the body, his face turning paler. He turned on his heel and ran off, a hand clamped over his mouth. A few moments later, there was the inevitable sound of him vomiting. Dojima looked annoyed whilst Shi smirked. "Adachi! How long are you going to keep acting like a rookie?!" He yelled.

"Sorry sir." Adachi said weakly, slowly coming back to them as she zipped the bag back up. "It's just, I'm not..."

"Used to it?" Shi asked. Adachi nodded, looking pale as she signalled the two morgue attendants. "Take her to the morgue and get everything set up. I'll see what we've got here and then do the autopsy." She said. The two attendants nodded and took her away. She turned to Adachi and Dojima. "I trust you two will be present at the autopsy? And I'd like to be present when you talk to the one who found her." She added. Adachi turned pale again.

"We will be. And frankly, I'd prefer it if you were with us Shi-san. Maybe she'll talk to a woman." Dojima said. He paused. "You haven't been properly introduced to my partner have you?" He asked. Shi shook her head. Dojima turned to Adachi. "Adachi, this is Shi Tawakemono. She's the department's forensic pathologist and CSI. Shi-san, this is Tohru Adachi." Adachi held out his hand to her.

"Nice to meet you." He said. She glanced at his hand momentarily before taking it and shaking it. She offered him a smile to help make him feel slightly better. "Sorry that I threw up in front of you." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it. Death is not something one should so easily face." She said. She turned back to Dojima. "So, what can you tell me about our scene?" She asked.

"No sign of anyone carrying her up there. No one heard anything, saw anything. If this is a murder, the perp is a ghost." He said. "The only witness we've got says she saw the body hanging upside down from the aerial." She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Hanging upside down? Really? Well that is interesting." She saw their looks of curiosity. "If this is a suicide, then she willingly put herself in a position that would stop her breathing. She willingly endured positional asphyxia. If this was a murder, then why put her up there?" She said. Dojima nodded in agreement whilst Adachi still looked confused. "Shall we speak to the witness?" She asked. The three of them walked over to the car where the school girl she had seen when she arrived sat.

"Miss Konishi? I'm Detective Ryotaro Dojima; this is my partner Tohru Adachi and Dr Shi Tawakemono. We want to talk to you about what you saw." Dojima said. The girl looked up at them before fixing her gaze upon Shi.

"I was walking back from school. I had some things I needed to take care of at home. And I...I..." She stammered as she remembered what she had seen. Shi decided to step in and crouched down on the girl's level.

"Miss Konishi, I understand this is difficult for you but we need to know everything. That way we can solve this. Please, tell us what you know." She said softly. The girl looked at her for a few moments before nodding and continuing.

"I looked up. I don't know why, I just felt the need to and I saw...her. Hanging upside down from the aerial. I didn't know what else to do so I just called the police." She said. Shi nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You did the right thing." She said. She looked at Dojima. "I know all that I needed to know for now. So I'm going to head back and get ready for the autopsy." She said.

"I don't think we need to know anything else so you're free to go for now Miss Konishi. If we need you, we'll contact you to come to the station." Dojima said. The girl nodded and walked off as Shi headed back to her vehicle. "Looks like we're in for a long night." Dojima said, rubbing his forehead.

"If you want, you can use the phone in my office to ring Nanako-chan. Let her know you'll be late." Shi said before turning to Adachi. "As for you, as a punishment for emptying your stomach at the sight of a body, you've gotta go buy us dinner." She said, grinning at his expression.

"But...But..." Adachi began. Shi reached across her seat, unaware that Adachi's gaze had travelled to her hips, the material of her trousers clinging to them as she leaned into her car, and grabbed her purse. She pulled out a few thousand yen and handed them to him.

"If you can get me some steak skewers I'll be happy." She said before climbing into her car. "And get some for yourself, you look half-starved." She said before driving off. Adachi stared at her retreating car lights before a cough from Dojima disturbed him.

"Well, you're lucky." He said. "Shi-san isn't normally that nice to the new kids." He smirked. "She must like you." He said before turning. "Come on, we'll go get that food and head over to the morgue."


	2. No evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first victim autopsy should give answers. Or at least some evidence. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter contains graphic information about the autopsy process. If you are squeamish, please skip to the next chapter.

The harsh, cold lighting of the autopsy suite was unyielding as the three occupants of the room looked down at the body. Shi Tawakemono picked up her scalpel as she prepared for her task. Dojima watched silently whilst Adachi turned pale. Shi reached across and started up her Dictaphone.

"Victim is a twenty seven year old female. External signs show no injuries or signs of trauma. There is also no sign of abuse." She said. She held the scalpel blade near the victim's neck. "Preparing for the first incision." She said. She made a y-incision down the woman's torso. As she glanced up, she saw Adachi turn paler. "Sink's over there." She said. As she continued, slicing through muscle to expose the ribcage and organs, she heard him running towards the sink. She put the scalpel down and reached for her bone saw. She glanced up to see Adachi returning to his place.

"Will you stop acting like a rookie?" Dojima snapped. Adachi winced.

"Sorry sir." He said. Shi rolled her eyes and began to saw through the ribcage after removing the attaching muscles. She continued to saw though the bones when she heard a clatter. She looked up to see Adachi had fainted, his arm catching the sharps tray of the next autopsy table. She quickly placed down the saw and moved over to him. Dojima stood beside her.

"Adachi! Get up!" He yelled. She removed her gloves and lifted his head.

"He's out cold, come on." She wrapped one of Adachi's arms around her shoulders and pulled him up. "We'll put him in my office." She said. Between the two of them, they carried him to her office and lay him on the sofa. "He'll be fine so long as we leave him there. Come on, we'll continue." She said, heading back out of the office. Dojima followed and watched as she continued sawing through the rib cage. X-rays had already been taken and stood on the light box nearby. As she removed the rib cage and examined the organs in their places, he looked at them.

"There were no fractures?" He asked her, examining the x-rays. Looking at the images in black and white, they didn't look human. But the thing on the table that Shi currently had her hands in was human. Shi glanced up at him.

"No sign of any fractures that would have caused her death. Which is why I'm struggling to see it as a homicide. There's no trauma. Same with a suicide. There's no trauma to indicate it." She let out a sigh as she picked up a second scalpel. "Maybe the toxicology results can help me identify her cause of death." She said. He turned to face her as she began to remove the internal organs. Slowly, each organ from her heart to her womb was removed and examined, its weight, colour and size recorded along with any possible abnormalities. Finally, her attention was turned to the victim's head. She paused when she heard a groan.

Both she and Dojima turned to see Adachi walking out of her office, holding his head.

"Ah, so sleeping beauty finally awakens." Shi joked as she turned back to her duty. Judging from Dojima's chuckle, Adachi had blushed at her comment. She slowly extended her Y-incision around the hairline of her victim and pulled the scalp over the corpse's face. "Skull is intact, no signs of fractures." She commented before reaching for a circular saw. She cut around the skull, leaving small notches in it before removing the top. "No sign of any cerebral haemorrhaging." She murmured again. She picked up her scalpel and cut through the membrane surrounding the brain before removing it. She weighed, measured and recorded every detail about the brain and put it in formaldehyde. She went into the skull and removed the dura membrane but there was still no evidence of trauma. As she re-attached the skull and pulled the hair back in place, she sighed. "I'll take some samples for testing but this is weird." She said.

"There's really no sign to give you a cause of death?" Dojima said, watching as she cut a small amount of hair from the victim.

"Nothing. There's no trauma, there's no pathological markers, I doubt I'm gonna find anything based on histology but I'll give it a go. And unless tox reveals anything, all I can tell you is this. The heart of this woman just stopped." Shi said as she took a small sample of the blood, liver and kidneys. "I'll analyse these tomorrow. For now, I'll sew her back together and put her in the cooler." She said, putting the scalpel and syringe down and picking up a needle and thread. As she placed the organs and rib-cage back into place, she heard a commotion from outside. The three of them looked up as a patrolman entered the room.

"Dr Tawakemono, Detectives. I'm sorry, we're trying to stop them but they won't leave." He said before falling forward as a journalist shoved him out of the way.

"Dr Tawakemono, any idea on the cause of death?" He demanded, throwing a Dictaphone in her face. A photographer came down the hall.

"Alright, you can leave now!" Dojima yelled, shoving the reporter out along with his photographer before they could get any photos.

"The public has a right to know!"

"They will be told in an official statement. But for now, I have no comment I can make upon the situation." Shi said. The reporter was about to say something else but the doors slammed shut on them. "Phew, barely got her here and already the vultures are searching for the carrion." She said. She went back to sewing the announcer shut. Once she was done, she picked up her samples and stored them in a cool storage unit. Then, she pushed the body into one of the cooler and looked at them.

"So, you calling it a night?" Adachi asked. She nodded, walking to her office and grabbing her bag.

"I can't do the toxicology analysis until tomorrow. But I'll make a start on my report tonight. And here." She held out a packet of mints, some nausea tablets and a bottle of water to him. "It'll help deal with the smell and the nausea." She said. He blushed slightly and took them. "Say hi to Nanako –chan for me Dojima-san." She said. He nodded and left. Adachi followed her as she left, rummaging through his pockets.

"Shit. Where is it?" He growled. She glanced at him. "I must have dropped it somewhere." He spotted her raised eyebrow. "My bus-pass." He said. "Now how am I going to get back?" He asked himself.

"I can give you a lift." She said. He stammered. "Don't even bother refusing, I wouldn't want to walk in this fog. Come on." She led him to her car and opened it. As she climbed in, he sunk into the seat. "Just give me the address and we can get going." He gave her the address and she set off. As she drove, she felt more at ease with him in the car then she ever had alone. Little did she know that moment was the first few steps on a path that would lead her to the future she never would have expected.


	3. Death walks

Shi sighed as she read through the results of her toxicology analysis. All the spectra had come back clear, no toxins, no sign of anything that could have led to the announcer's death. She rubbed her forehead and put it on her desk. She had spent all night working on her report. She got up and walked over to the corpse. "What happened to you?" She asked it. It was then something caught her attention. Her eyes widened as she saw bruises on the corpses upper arms. She quickly grabbed a camera and photographed them. Immediately, she set about developing them. It was an important find. She grabbed the photos and ran out of her office. Dojima was sat at his desk; Adachi was beside him cradling his head.

"Shi-san, what is it?" Dojima asked. Shi threw the photographs onto his desk. He picked them up and examined them. "What am I looking at?"

"Bruises." She said with a grin. Dojima looked at them. "She had bruising on her upper arms this morning, despite none being visible yesterday. Which means they've only just developed fully." She saw their looks of confusion. "Bruises can only be formed antemortem." A look of realisation took over.

"Which means they were made before death right?" Adachi asked.

"Correct. And this particular pattern is consistent of one that would form if someone gripped her arms too tight." Shi explained.

"Which means she was killed by someone?" Dojima said. Shi nodded.

"We've got a homicide. She was killed by someone." Shi said. She suddenly looked sheepish. "Unfortunately, I have no idea how they did it. Tox came back negative." She said. Dojima slumped back in his seat. Shi sank into a nearby seat and ran a hand through her white streaked hair, a black strand falling over her eye. "I've never seen a case like this." She said.

"What about the analysis of her clothing?" Adachi asked. Shi leant back in the chair.

"We did find a couple of dark hairs on her blouse on the upper arm." She said. "Similar in colour to yours Adachi. But I went onto the DNA Database and there was no match. So, I'm led to assume these hairs came from you when you were looking at the body." She said. "It's all in my statement." She sighed, her arms hanging down the side of her chair.

"Did you sleep at all yesterday?" Dojima asked.

"Did you?" She replied before getting to her feet. "Are you gonna call that Konishi girl in again?" She asked. Dojima nodded. "Ok, well I'm gonna go back to the scene, see if there's anything we missed yesterday. Mind if I borrow your partner to help me?" She asked. Dojima raised an eyebrow. "I ain't gonna steal him away. I need him to help me question the residents, build my own picture. They'll be more likely to talk to me if he's there." She said.

"Sure. Just remember that if he causes trouble, punch him in the head." He said. He picked up the photographs. "I'll go let the chief know of your find." He said. Shi nodded and beckoned Adachi. Together, the two of them left the station and headed back to the scene.

A few hours later, she sighed as she got to her feet and walked back to her car. Adachi glanced up at her, her reports in his hands. She nodded towards them. "Did you understand everything?" She asked him. He nodded. "One of the things I have to do when writing my reports is make sure the layman can understand it. So I can't use my medical jargon, as my lecturer once told me." She smiled as she got into the car.

"Did you find anything?" He asked her, closing the file and looking at her. She shook her head, leaning back in her seat.

"Nothing. No fibres, no DNA, no footwear marks." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Like Dojima-san said, our killer is like a ghost." She sighed again. Her head was starting to hurt and her body cried out for sleep. "Who has the most effective way of killing people I've ever encountered." It was at that moment, a strange gurgling noise echoed through her car. She glanced at him.

"Sorry." He said. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast." He admitted. She had to admit she was rather hungry as well. "Shall we grab a bite to eat before heading back?" He asked. She nodded, stretching to try and ease her muscles. He quickly drove them to the central shopping district where they grabbed some steak skewers. "So, what made you go into forensics?" He asked, trying to make some conversation. She glanced at him before returning her attention to the high-school students that walked past.

"You're gonna find out soon enough anyway. My parents were killed when I was seven years old." She said. She spotted Adachi about to offer sympathies. "Don't. It was fate. The two of them killed several people together, I think the count ended at ten known victims, and were being hunted by the police. They would have continued if not for me." She picked her steak skewer up and took a bite. "They wore kitsune masks to hide their identities when killing. The masks were common except for one small detail. The mask my mother wore had a blue oval in the centre of the forehead. One day, a police officer spotted me playing with it and asked me where I got it from. I told him, "it's my mummy's." And next thing I know, my parents are coming back in that night, with blood on their shirts. But they sit with me on the sofa, all night." She paused as she thought back to that night.

"The next morning, they don't wake up. I go outside, see all those police officers outside and I say "Mummy and daddy won't wake up." The next few months are blurs. I remember cameras flashing in my face, reporters demanding interviews with me and my paternal grandmother blaming me. My paternal grandfather did his best to comfort and raise me. He was a forensic pathologist and would take me into work with him. That's where I got my interest in it from. But, eventually he died as well. And I was left with snide remarks and sour looks from my grandmother." A dark laugh came from her. "She favoured my cousin over me always asking why I couldn't be like her. So I left, moved back into my home after I turned 18 and studied. Got my degree and became the pathologist of Inaba. Both forensically and generally." She smiled sadly before looking at him. "But what about you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Grew up in Tokyo, joined the police. Got transferred out here to the boonies." He said. She raised an eyebrow. "The transfer wasn't my choice. I was taking part in a hostage situation and my finger slipped. I never meant to but I fired the weapon and shot an innocent civilian. Of course, the public went mad, the top brass needed someone to blame. So my chief pointed the finger at me and next thing I know, I'm driving out to the middle of nowhere." He sighed and ate the remainder of his steak skewer.

"Well, at least something interesting is happening now." She admitted. "Most of the autopsies I perform are hospital autopsies. I'm sick of seeing heart attack victims. Not to mention I only ever examine robbery crime scenes and those are few and far between. So this is a welcome breath of fresh air." She got to her feet. "Though I will say, getting to work with you is even better." She said softly. He glanced at her. "All the other detectives and such are much older than me and always talking about their wives or children. It's so boring. But you're my age right?" He nodded. "Then we can talk about other things, not just work or families and that's much better." She said, blushing slightly as she headed back to her car. He stared at her retreating back before climbing into the car with her.

"Well, I suppose I can agree. Meeting you was something good that came from being out here." He said. She glanced at him before smiling and heading back to the station. As they walked back in, Dojima walked forward.

"Adachi, you can go talk to the Konishi girl. Shi-san, I'd like you to walk me through your report with the body." He asked. She nodded and walked with Dojima to the autopsy suite. As she did, a chill ran up her spine and she froze. "Are you ok?" He asked her.

"It felt like death just walked past me." She said.


	4. Second Victim

A series of shrill cries disturbed her from her sleep. Shi slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. Her living room was dark aside from a few brief slants of light entering through the gaps in her blinds. She yawned and sat up on her sofa, a folder falling off her legs to the ground. She picked up her phone and answered "Dr Tawakemono."

"Shi-san!" Dojima sounded rushed as he spoke to her. "We've got another one." Shi sat up slightly straighter. "It's the Konishi girl."

"I'll be right there." Shi hung up before straightening her blouse and pants and running to her front door. Her kit was still in her car so she quickly drove to the scene. As she pulled up, a crowd had already gathered. A news reporter stood just in front of the crime scene tape as she got out of her car. He spotted her and moved over towards her, his camera-man following.

"And Dr Tawakemono has just arrived on the scene." He said as he approached her. "Dr Tawakemono, any comments for the concerned public on what has happened?" He asked. She walked forward towards the tape as more of them began to move towards her.

"I will say this. I can make no official comment as of this moment. An official statement will be released when the police deem it suitable." She said before ducking under the tape and heading towards the scene. More questions were shouted at her back as she moved towards Dojima, who stood looking at the body. He glanced at the media crowd before looking at her.

"What did you tell them?" He asked her.

"Same thing that gets drilled into everyone involved in investigations. An official statement will be released when deemed suitable and that I have no official comment to make as of this moment." She said before looking up at the body. The victim was suspended upside down. She sighed. "She's gonna be fun to get down." She said. She signalled to the two morgue attendants to move forward as she moved towards the ladder that had been set up. Dojima and Adachi both followed.

"What do you see?" Adachi asked her. Shi slipped on her crime scene suit before climbing up; face mask pulled up and gloves and boot covers on. She began her examination.

"Victim is a high school student. Most likely a third year. No signs of external injuries or trauma." She said. She glanced over the victim for any signs. "No signs of damage to her clothing. No staining." She sighed and stood up before pulling down her mask. "There's no evidence here that we could use, crime scene must have got it. You two can come up and get her. But be careful. I don't want her injured." She said as she climbed down and the two morgue attendants climbed up. She glanced up as they began to remove her from her suspension. "Poor thing."

"Saki!" A voice cried from the tape. The three of them turned to see a man and woman at the tape. The man was fighting with a police officer. "Let me go you bastard! That's my daughter!" He yelled. The woman was trying to get past but was also held back.

"Oh no." Shi murmured. She turned back to the attendants who had paused. "Get her down and in a body bag. We can't let them see her like that." She ordered. They nodded and began to move slightly quicker to put her in the bag as her parents broke free of the restraints and moved towards them.

"What happened?! Where's our daughter?!" the victim's father demanded, storming up to Dojima. Shi glanced around them but the reporters had been chased away. Dojima glanced at her and nodded. She sighed.

"Mr and Mrs Konishi, I'm Dr Tawakemono. I'm the resident pathologist for Inaba. I'm afraid to inform you that your daughter, Saki Konishi, is no longer with us." She said. The man stared at her.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" He demanded. His wife, on the other hand, was shaking her head, eyes wide with horror.

"We discovered a body this morning. We believe it to be the body of your daughter." Shi continued. The two of them stared at her. At that moment, the morgue attendants moved towards Shi, the body bag now on a gurney. Shi unzipped the bag and opened it. "Is this Saki Konishi?" She asked. She needed a confirmation of the identity for her report. The couple stared at the body in shock before the woman broke down. The man slowly nodded. "I'm sorry for your..."

"You're sorry?" The man snarled before grabbing the front of her shirt. "My daughter is dead and all you've got is "sorry"?! I want answers!" He yelled. Shi just waited patiently. Dojima didn't move but Adachi did.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to release Dr Tawakemono. This isn't her fault." He said. The man didn't move.

"I understand your pain." Shi said. "You've lost someone close, you're hurting and you want it to stop. But I'm the only one who can stop this pain. So if you want answers, you'll have to wait because I don't have them yet." She said. The man glared before dropping her. His wife clawed at the bottom of her pants.

"Bring her back. Bring her back." She sobbed. Shi sighed.

"Get them out of here." Dojima said to a nearby uniformed officer. The officer nodded and he led the couple away. "Shi, when will you be doing the autopsy?"

"As soon as I get back to the station. But I'm not expecting much." She said. She turned and began to walk back to her car, when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to face Dojima.

"We'll be back shortly, but you'll have probably started the autopsy by then." He sighed, inhaling on his cigarette before exhaling slowly.

"Just come in when you're ready. Oh and, give these to Adachi-san." She said, handing him a packet of mints. "It's to stop him feeling ill from the smell." She smiled and walked off. He glanced at the packet she had handed her before chuckling.

Shi sighed as she stared down at the body on her table. She shook her head whilst the photographer took the photographs. "Problem?" He asked. She glanced at him.

"The one part of this job I never liked, was examining those whose life was only just beginning." She said before beginning. She had already recorded every external detail, including height, clothing, hair colour, eye colour and such. She placed her Dictaphone on a nearby table and began to work, slowly removing each layer, recording anything and everything. As she came to the removal of the final layer of clothing, she placed a cover nearby.

"Why do you do that?" A male voice asked. She looked up to see Dojima and Adachi entering, Adachi chewing on the mints she had provided.

"The cover?" She asked. He nodded. "It's to give her some form of modesty." She said, starting to slip off the victim's final layer of clothing before quickly sliding the cover over her. "My examinations are as personal and invading as physically possible. I provide a cover to give my patients some form of modesty. They appreciate it." She said. She slowly sat the body up, to unhinge the bra she wore when there was a groan from the body.

She watched carefully as both Dojima and Adachi flinched. Dojima shook his head. "I'm still not used to that." He said.

"You never encounter that many deaths Dojima-san so you shouldn't be used to it. But don't worry, it was just gases escaping." She said. She laid the body back down and began her examination. She did the exact same as she did with the first victim, and still could not find anything to point to a cause of death. She sighed as she completed her examination and found nothing.

"Problem?" Adachi's voice sounded strained. She glanced over at him.

"There will be if you decide to pass out right there." She said, smiling at him blushing. "The big issue is like with our first victim, there's no obvious cause of death. It's like the heart of this healthy teenager just decided to stop for no reason. Like everything just switched off." She sighed and began putting the organs back into the corpse. She then began to sew up her incisions. As she did, shouting came from down the corridor. "That'll be her parents." She said. "Keep them occupied for now whilst I finish up here. As soon as I'm done, I'll come and get them." She said. She watched as she left before glancing back down at the corpse beneath her. "Who did this to you?"


	5. New Gossip

Saki Konishi's father paced up and down the corridor as Shi walked towards them. Her mother sat on a chair, hugging herself and another child, a young boy most likely Saki's younger brother sat beside her, staring at the wall. All three of them looked up as she walked forward. "You can come see her now." She said before leading them to the autopsy room.

She stopped them near the fridge where she had stored their daughter. She faced them, watching each of them carefully. "Now, I will warn you that it is painful to see a family member in such a state. And whilst you will want to be strong, if you feel ill or faint, please let either myself or Detectives Dojima or Adachi know and we can escort you out." She said. They just waited. She sighed and opened the door before pulling the tray out to reveal their daughter. The mother started to sob again as she looked down at her daughter. Shi had pulled the cover up to her neck to hide the stitching, the ones around her head hidden by her hairline.

"What caused it?" Shi almost didn't register the question. The father looked up at her, his arm around his wife. Shi glanced at Dojima, wanting to know if she should tell them. Dojima stepped forward.

"Because Dr Tawakemono hasn't completed her analysis yet, she cannot reveal a cause of death as of this moment." He explained. They looked from him to her. "Once Dr Tawakemono has an official cause of death, you will be informed before anyone else." He said. They nodded slowly.

"We need to contact the school." His wife said. Her husband nodded. Shi stepped forward.

"If you'd rather not do this, either myself or one of the detectives will contact the school on your behalf." Shi said. They glanced at each other before nodding, granting their approval. As they left with Dojima, she sighed before sliding the tray back into its place and shutting the door.

"Do you often offer to contact others in place of the family?" Adachi asked her. She laughed softly.

"It's a rare occurrence. But no parent should have to bury their child." She turned to him. "I've never encountered a case like this before. And I don't want you to repeat this to anyone but this killer is brilliant." He tilted his head and frowned. She continued. "They have discovered a method of murder that leaves no trace. The ultimate forensic counter. I want to know where they discovered this method. And I want to know how to counter it." She said before turning and walking to her office. She picked up the phone and connected to the operator. Adachi followed and watched her silently.

"Good morning, this is Dr Tawakemono. I was wondering if you could connect me to Yasogami high school." She paused as she was put on hold whilst being connected. She twirled the phone cord in her fingers as she was connected to the school.

"Good Morning, Yasogami High School office, how may I help you?" A female voice said.

"Good Morning, my name is Dr Shi Tawakemono. I'm the resident pathologist for Inaba's police department. I need to speak with the principal over an issue regarding one of your students." She was told to wait a moment whilst she was transferred through to the principal. Eventually, an elderly male voice answered.

"It is unusual for us to receive a call from the police, Tawakemono-sensei." The man said. "To what do we owe this unique opportunity?"

"I'm afraid I'm calling on behalf of Miss Saki Konishi's family. I need you to inform the pupils that Miss Konishi has sadly passed away." She said. A deep sigh emerged from the other end.

"I understand. May I ask as to the cause?"

"I can't give you that information without the police and parent's permission." Shi said. "All I can say is that I ask you to merely repeat what I have said in that Miss Konishi has sadly passed away. I do not want any rumours flying around." She explained before bidding goodbye and hanging the phone up. She placed her head on her arms atop her desk.

"This is really bothering you isn't it?" Adachi asked her, moving closer to her.

"Like I said, a parent should never have to bury their child. But it works the other way. A young child should never have to bury their parents or older siblings." She sighed. "I'll start working on those samples I took for toxicological analysis, but I'm not confident." She slowly picked up the samples and walked towards her labs. She analysed her samples using the different techniques available to her. Unbeknownst, Adachi had followed and was watching her. She sat by a computer and programmed her chromatographs and spectrometers to analyse her samples. She leaned back in the seat and rubbed her eyes.

"Shi-san?" She jumped slightly and turned to face him. "I know this is rather unusual but whilst you're waiting for the analysis to complete, would you like to come with me for a bite to eat?" He asked her.

"I have to stay with these in case something goes wrong." He looked a little saddened by this. "But once I've got the results, I can go with you." She said with a small smile. He brightened up slightly. She glanced at the clock on her computer to see it was already slipping into the afternoon. Her stomach gave an angry grumble as she waited for her analyses to be complete.

"So, what exactly are you doing?" He asked her, moving closer to see the computer screen.

"Trying to avoid Dojima-san?" She asked. He didn't respond which made her chuckle. She turned back to the screen. "I'm looking to see if there are any toxins present in the samples I took. These could be organic or inorganic." She watched the spectras being produced. "But by the looks of it, I'm not going to find anything." She sighed. A beep sounded to indicate the end of her tests. She printed off the spectra. She read through them before frowning. "Nothing. She's clean." She got to her feet and headed off to the offices of the police. She dropped the results on Dojima's desk, which was empty at the moment. "I'll explain them to him when we come back." She said before walking out with Adachi.

As they left, some of the people in the reception and just outside the entrance watched. "They've been spending alot of time together." A housewife said, sensing a new source of gossip. Her friend nodded.

"I mean, if they are working on the case, I'd understand but apparently, Shi gave him a lift home the other day." She murmured. The two of them continued to gossip as they waited for their husbands. Shi had heard the first parts of the murmurs but she chose to ignore it. She was used to others gossiping behind her back. Instead, she got in the car with Adachi and waited as they drove off for something to eat


	6. False hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous discoveries have given her a chance at hope. A shot in the dark. But is she right to hope.

Shi sat, staring up at the overcast sky as she waited. Adachi was busy ordering their food, having dragged her to Junes. People moved past, gossiping about the deaths. She sat up, her back beginning to ache, and looked at the crowds. One thing that caught her eye was the three high school students who walked past. There were two boys, one with silver hair and the other a brunette. The third was a girl with short brown hair. She watched them head towards the electronic department just as Adachi returned.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. She shook her head.

"It's nothing." She murmured. He placed the tray he was carrying down on the table before sitting down opposite her. She glanced at what he had brought for them before grabbing her order and taking a bite. He continued to watch her. "Ok, I'm just thinking. Why did the killer go after Saki Konishi and the reporter? Did they have personal ties? Is there something we're missing?" She sighed and put her food down. "The only connection we can see between them is Namatame. But he's got an alibi."

"Maybe the alibi is fake?" Adachi said. Shi shook her head.

"We checked that. It all fits. The alibi is secure." Shi sighed. "I'm at a complete loss as of what to do." She ran her hand through her hair. "But the worst part of it is I have not only the victims' families hounding me for information but the chief, the press and my own family as well." She shook her head and forced a smile. "But you needn't concern yourself with that." She said.

"What do you mean your own family? Why is it their concern?" He asked, putting down his food. Shi sighed.

"Ever since it appeared on the news that I was the pathologist on this case, my family have thought about one thing. If they appear sweet and caring, I will give them information on the case before it is released to the news. They're some of the biggest gossips around so this is a dream for them." She explained. "Of course, as is expected of me, I have kept mum upon the subject. Which really annoys them and leaves me open to abuse." She sighed again before shaking her head. "Like I said, you needn't concern yourself with it. Some new story will emerge and they'll gossip about that." She stretched before pausing.

"What is it?" Adachi asked. Shi suddenly slapped herself on the forehead.

"I'm such an idiot!" She said. She laughed and turned away from him. "If Saki Konishi has similar bruising on her like our previous victim, I can check for possible DNA!" She spun to face him. "We need to get back to the station." She quickly turned and headed out of the food court, Adachi chasing after her.

As they entered the station, Dojima walked past. "Where have you two been?" He asked as Shi sped past him, pulling her white coat on.

"Searching for a breakthrough." She said as she headed into the morgue, Adachi and Dojima both following. They watched as she opened the fridge which contained Saki. "Damn, the bruising hasn't developed yet." Shi murmured. She shut the fridge and moved over to a bench before pulling a paper bag towards her. She examined the paper on the bag and picked up some scissors.

"Shi-san, what are you doing?" Dojima sighed, his patience obviously wearing thin. She glanced up at him.

"You want to get home? Well, I'm nearly done, I just need to collect this sample." She explained, cutting the bag and slipping on a pair of gloves before carefully removing a blouse from the bag. "This blouse belonged to our reporter friend. I'm swabbing it for DNA. We have our victim but if I find some that doesn't match her DNA, I may have our killer." She explained. She swabbed the upper arms of the blouse sleeves before re-sealing the tube with tape and writing on it. "I'll set this up for amplification then continue on it once that's complete." She said. Her eyes sparkled with the delight of a possible counter to the suspect. "I may have you now you son of a bitch." She murmured.

Dojima watched her move around her lab. "You really think we may have him?" He asked.

"We may have an opportunity. Obviously I can't tell you who the killer is. I can only give you a likelihood of it being a specific person." She explained. "But it's a start." She said. She moved over to a separate lab and began to work on the samples. She ran around like a child in a sweet shop, donning all the gear she needed to keep the samples as pure as possible. She quickly separated out any cells that may have been left on the blouse and began to move to separate the DNA from the cells. After she had done all of that, she moved to amplify it. As she inserted it into the PCR machine, she sighed. This part usually took a while. She moved to make sure she had prepared the remaining parts for her analysis. They watched her as she ran around the lab, trying to get what may be their only piece of evidence. As the quantification of the DNA finished, she quickly completed the final steps before running the sample.

Once she had completed that, she removed the gel that she had ran the samples on and moved them to a new machine. She shut the door and viewed the computer next to it before selecting a file from nearby. As she looked between the two, Adachi and Dojima looked at the computer monitor. To them, it just looked like a series of light blobs on a dark background. A sigh emerged from Shi as she set the image to print off her computer. She walked over to a white board nearby.

"This is our known DNA sample. The sample from our victim." She said, pinning the photo of the DNA from the file to the board. "And this is what I just got from the blouse." She added, pinning the second photo to the board. The two images matched. Shi looked defeated, staring sadly at the two images. Dojima sighed softly.

"So our victim's DNA is the only one present?" He asked. She nodded sadly. All that work for nothing. She moved through to her office as Dojima shook his head and walked away, most likely heading home. Adachi watched him before going into the office to see Shi sitting with her head in her hands. She seemed so distraught by this.

"Hey, it's not so bad." Adachi said softly. "Ok, so you didn't get DNA. But at least you realised it." He added, trying to cheer her up.

"It's not that it failed that's the problem." She said. "It's that two people have been murdered, and we have nothing to say to reassure the public of their safety. We have nothing, I have nothing." A knock made her look up as Dojima walked into her office.

"Listen, I know it's difficult but you need to take a break Shi. Why not come and see Nanako?" He asked. Shi looked at her desk again before nodding. Dojima turned to Adachi.

"You should come along as well." He added. Shi got to her feet and followed Dojima out of her office and out of the morgue. She was glad he had suggested this. She was growing tired of looking at the dead today


	7. Loneliness and Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through the use of a phone, Shi is reminded of her crushing loneliness. But a glimpse of joy keeps her on the path.

Shi followed Dojima in her car, listening to the strings of a quartet as they drove to Dojima's house. From what he had told her, his nephew was staying with him whilst his parents were away. She smiled softly as she pulled in to park in front of his home. Adachi had declined Dojima's invitation, saying he wanted to get home before it rained and the fog set in. As she followed him inside, Shi heard a familiar female voice call eagerly out to Dojima. She stepped inside, slipping her shoes of by the door and putting some slippers on in their place.

"Hi Nanako-chan." Shi smiled as she entered, moving until she stood beside Dojima. Nanako smiled happily when she saw her, moving from behind the silver haired teen that sat by the table.

"Shi-chan." Nanako said happily. She moved forward and hugged Shi's legs.

"Man, it feels like ages since I last saw you. How's school going? You going to follow in my footsteps?" Shi joked. Nanako smiled happily and nodded, pulling Shi towards the table to begin explaining.

"Shi-san, this is my nephew. Narukami Yu." Dojima said, indicating to the silver haired teen. "Yu, this Dr Tawakemono Shi. She's the pathologist for us here at Inaba." Dojima explained. Yu raised his hand and held it out to her, smiling softly.

"It's nice to meet you, Tawakemono-Sensei." He said. She looked him up and down momentarily before taking his hand and shaking it.

"Same to you Yu-kun." She said, smiling softly. Dojima walked over as Shi took a seat on the sofa near the table.

"Shi-chan, can I get you anything to drink?" Nanako asked her, standing in front of her. Shi smiled and shook her head softly.

"I don't plan on staying too late. I just wanted to come and see how you were doing Nanako-chan." Shi said. Yu glanced from Dojima to Shi, obviously wanting to ask a question.

"Tawakemono-Sensei, if you're the pathologist that works for Inaba, then are you the one who..."

"Performed the autopsies of the victims of these murders?" Shi finished for him. Yu nodded. "I did. But as I have said to the numerous news crews, I cannot give you any information with regards to this case. An official statement will be released by my office when the police deem it suitable." She explained to him. He didn't seem concerned by this though. Shi paused as Nanako walked past her again.

"Was it your office that informed my school about Saki Konishi's death?" Yu asked her. Shi glanced at Dojima before nodding.

"Her family asked me to." She said. She glanced at her watch on her wrist before getting to her feet. "I apologise for my flying visit, but I must be heading home. If I don't go now, I'm going to get stuck in the fog and I'll never make it home." Shi apologised as she began walking to the door. Nanako followed her, watching as Shi replaced her slippers for her shoes. She turned and gave Nanako a hug, crouching to her level.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow Dojima-san." Shi said as she straightened up. Dojima nodded, standing near the stairs as Yu walked to stand beside him. "It was nice meeting you Yu-kun."

"Same to you Tawakemono-sensei." Yu replied.

"Bye Nanako-chan." Shi waved as she walked out of the door. She heard Nanako call bye as she left. Shi smiled, shaking her head as she got into her car. As she did, her phone went off. She lifted it to see a new message. It was from a number she didn't recognise. She quickly read it.

_Shi-san, this is Adachi. Dojima-san gave me your mobile number and I thought I should give you mine. Also, if it's not too much trouble, could I get a lift to work tomorrow?_  She let out a light laugh as she imagined him looking sheepish whilst sending this. She quickly dialled his number, waiting in her car whilst he answered.

_"Hello? Shi-san?"_

"Hi Adachi-kun." She said, the honorific slipping off her tongue sub-consciously. "I got your message. Thank you for letting me know your number." She heard him clear his throat at the other end.

_"It's no problem Shi-san."_

"And it's no trouble. I will give you a lift in tomorrow. Is it ok if I pick you up at 7?" She asked him.

_"Yeah, that's great. Thank you Shi-san. I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Shi-chan."_ Shi paused as he changed the honorific. He didn't appear to have noticed.

"Goodnight Adachi-kun." She said, smiling softly. She hung up and put her phone down to turn on her car engine. As she slipped on her seatbelt, she caught her reflection in the rear-view mirror. She had a light in her eyes and a smile she hadn't seen for years. She quickly turned away and drove to her home. As she stepped inside, she locked her door, still smiling. Her phone vibrated again as another message appeared on her phone.

_Thank you for agreeing to take me into work tomorrow. I'll find some way to pay you back. Goodnight._  Adachi's new message read. Shi felt her smile grow more. She moved through her home, slipping her shoes off before heading to the kitchen. She grabbed a can of soda and a ready-made ramen bowl. As she heated it and waited for it to cook, she switched on her TV. A news report appeared on the screen, talking about the murders. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Her home phone rang suddenly, startling her. She hopped to her feet and answered it.

"Dr Tawakemono speaking." She said. She immediately regretted answering the phone.

_"Shi-san? Oh finally, I've been ringing you all day but you never answered. How are you?"_ Her cousin's voice rang through the phone. Shi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What do you want Akiko? I've already told Obaasan that I can't tell you anything about this case." A pause sounded on the other end. "Which is exactly why you rang isn't it?"

_"Come on Shi-san! I would tell you if I was the pathologist!"_

"It's illegal! I would lose my job if I told you!"

_"You're so selfish! You've always been this way! You spend way too much time around those dead bodies! You're becoming a freak Shi, just like your parents!"_

Shi froze when her parents were mentioned. She took a deep breath. "Listen here and pass this message onto Obaasan. I will never tell you anything about this case. So stop calling me and pestering me or I will have you both arrested for harassment! Stay out of my life!" She yelled before hanging up the phone. As she put it back into place, she slid to the ground. She sighed softly, feeling her eyes sting. She didn't want this anymore. The news continued its report, talking to the daughter of the owner of the inn the first victim stayed at. Shi looked at it blankly as the weight of everything fell on her.

For the first time since her grandfather's death, Shi felt a crushing loneliness take over. Her phone vibrated on the table. She looked at it before getting to her feet. She read the messages on it, feeling the loneliness fade. It was Adachi again. He was making suggestions for how he could pay her back. She smiled softly at the messages.

"Maybe, things aren't so bad." She murmured to herself. "Perhaps they're looking up for me." She mused. Little did she know how wrong that statement would be.


End file.
